Street-traffic marker



Jan. 20, 1931. A. F. HOFF 1,789,525 I STREET TRAFFIC MARKER Filed Sept. 9, 1930 Patented Jan. 20, 1931 UNITED STATES ADAM HOFF, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND STREET-TRAFFIC MARKER Application filed September 9, 1930. Serial No. 480,777.

, My invention pertains to a street traflic marker, which replaces successfully the painting of trafiic lanes commonly used ,to designate the movements of vehicular and pedestrian traffic.

The main object of my invention-is to provide a practical trafiic marker which will afford maximum visibility, and at the same time be durable and inexpensive to manufacture, and which will furnish a permanent marking means instead of the old way of painting such lines which need constant repainting and other upkeep.

Another object of my invention is to provide the lower face of the base member with a surface adapted to contact with the pavement throughout its entire lower face, or said face may be recessed so as to effect a saving of material thereby economizing in the cost of manufacture.

Another object of the invention is to pro- ,vide a marker having a metal base member provided with a plurality of projections and recesses formed between said projections on its upper face, and a separable covering member of any suitable light alloy metal, or bright substance, said covering member having depressions in its lower face, said face being so formed as to fit over the upper face of the projections and over the face of .said recesses, said base member and covering member constituting a unit independent of the pavement.

Another object of the invention is to provide a metal base member provided with a plurality of projections and recesses between the projections, a separable covering member secured thereto, said covering member being formed with a plurality of perforations formed therethrough adapted to be fitted around and through said projections to any suitable degree, and to cover the recessed rtions of the upper face of the base member; to provide a downwardly extendedprong integral with the lower face of the base member especially designed for securely fastening the marker to concrete, stone or brick pavements; to provide a plurality of integral prongs depending from the lower face of the marker to serve as means for anchoring the device to an asphalt pavement or to pave ments composed of flexible or resilient material, said prongs being suitably spaced apart and so disposed with relation to each other that they'will be adapted to furnish a more positive and secure fastening meansfor the said marker.

The foregoing and such'other objects as may appear from the ensuing description are accomplished by the construction, arrangement, location and combination of the several parts hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings,

vand particularly pointed out in the claims appended, hereto, it being understood that slight changes in the precise shape, proportions and minor details of the construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention. w In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification it will be seen that: Figure 1 is a plan View of the upper face of my marker, where the covering is provided with a series of depressions.

Figure 2 is a cross section of the marker Figures 7, 8, and 9 illustrate modified con tours of my marker.

In the embodiment ofmy invention, as

illustrated, it will be seen that numeral 1 designates my improved marker, having a base member 3 which is provided with projections 4 and recesses 5. The upper face of the base member is enveloped with a covering 6, which is provided with depressions 7 that fit over edge of the covering which is bent over the lower end of the shank 10 and thereby holds securely the covering to the shank. The numerals 11 and 11 desi nate the prongs of the marker thatserve as astening means to 'anchor the marker in an asphalt or other resilient pavement.

The numeral 16 designates a resting surface of the lower face of the base member which prevents the marker from sinking into the pavement when subjected to traflic conditions. Such resting surface may extend throughout the lower surface of said base member, or in order to save material, may

. have a hollowed upwardly extending surface as shown at 17, and may be further reinforced withribs 18 and l9.

In the modified form of marker shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the numeral 12 indicates the covering provided with perforations 13 through which extend the projections 4, while 15 designatesa sloping area on the upper face of the marker from its central portion towards its edge which serves to maintain said marker in a cleansed condition and drain off all foreign matter which accumulates thereon from ordinary outdoor conditions.

The numeral 20 desi nates a special formation of prong which adapts the marker .to be securely installed in brick, stone or concrete pavement, while 21 indicates the upper end of said prong, which is of a smaller diameter than the lower end 22 of the prong. 23 indicates a vertical hole or opening formed throughout the prong and base member and terminating at its upper end at the upper sur face of the marker, and 24 is an opening formed at the lower end of the prong.

To fasten the marker in concrete a hole 25 is drilled in the pavement with a diameter larger than the widest diameter of the prong.

The marker is then set or fitted into the pave- 1 ment, a' hot metal or other suitable substance is poured through the hole at the outer surface of the marker, which results in the metal flowing through the opening 24 and filling in the space formed between the outer walls of the prong and the inner walls of the hole formed in the pavement, and when the substance hardens will furnish a positive and secure anchoring means of the marker to the pavement.

The outer longitudinal wall of the prong may be either angular, so as to prevent the marker from twisting, after it has been inserted in the pavement, or it may be circular.

Referring to the slightly modified form of markers shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the numeral 26 indicates the base member, 'Fig. 5, which consists of pressed out sheet steel with a sloping contour, to which the covering 28 is fastened, and 27 in Fig, 6 designates a similar base member which has projections formed on its upper face to which is fastened a covering as in Figure 2, while 30 indicates two detachable prongs which are used to fasten the marker to'the pavement. I

It will be readily perceived that my device provides a practical marke'r which is both highly visible and extremely durable, and at the same time inexpensive, because of the following reasons: The shank or the inner body portion of the marker is made of a sufiiciently strong material,' referably of malleable iron, steel, or forgmgs, which may be hollowed out at different points that will save metal and stillretain the proper strength to withstand the abuse of heavy traflic. Again, the light alloy metal covering which fits into therecesses of the upper face of the shank furnishes a high visibility which is indestructible, since the projections. on the shank absorb the impact of heavy traffic, and prevent thereby time destruction of the covering. Any light a loy material that would prove practical for a traflic marker is rather expensive, and without the projections on the upper face of the marker, the constant impact of heavy trafiic would soon thin out the covering at different places and result in the splitting up of the covering which will thus become rather dangerous to traflic.

Furthermore, it is of no material difference whether the'covering has perforations or depressions to permit the saidcovering to fit into the recesses of the shank, since in either case the projections of the shank will serve to protect the covering from traflic abuse. If the covering is made of a thingaged sheet metal with de ressions to fit over the projections of the s ank, it will be found that the upper face of the depressions will soon wear away, and it will appear as if the covering was perforated ori inally.

Having thus described by invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. A street pavement traflic marker unit comprising a metal base member formed with its upper face sloping from its center to its outer edge and having projections and recesses between the projections on said upper face, a separable covering member of any desired color formed with depressions in its lower face adapted to fit over said projections and said lower face being adapted to correspond with the formation of the up r face of the base member, and suitable astening means to securely retain said covering to the upper face of said base member.

2. A street pavement. traflic marker unit comprising a metal base member with its upper face sloping from its center to its edge and havin projections and recesses between the pro ections on said upper face a separable covering member of any desire color having perforations formed therethrough tions and to cover the space formed between the projections, so that the metal projections of the base member extend through the perforations of the covering, and suitable fastening means to securely hold said covering to the upper face of the base memher.

3. A street pavement traflic marker unit comprising a metal base member formed with projections, and recesses between the projections in its upper face, a separable rigidly secured covering member of any desired color, said covering being'fixedly secured upon the recessed portions of the upper face of the said base member, means for fixedly ment, said projections on the upper face of the base member being so disposed as to prevent vehicles from destroying said covering when subjected to traffic abuse.

In testimony'whereof I hereunto aflix my signature.

- ADAM F. HOFF.

adapted to fit around said projec securing said marker to the pave- 

